Cyclonus's Brave Stand
There were rarely reports of Overlord sightings. Rumors were a better term for it. Rumors of Overlord. A general sense of Overlord. It was that general sense of the heretic that had Cyclonus on edge all day. Why he had finally chosen to break orbit and take some arcs around Cybertron's moons, and finally to this holy place: the site of Lord Galvatron's Great Triumph over Unicron and the Usurper Rodimus Prime. Cyclonus had swept in through the very eye Galvatron had cast Prime from and transformed, immediately feeling the connection to this great, dead hall. Unicron's Head Inside this once-proud head, a larger chamber opens before you. It is dimly lit by violet-tinged starlight, with shadowed tunnels and crevices that lead to unknown regions. There is an almost expectant stillness in the air. Those with much to fear from Unicron might imagine a faraway voice carried upon the silence, whispering threats from beyond the grave. But those who had a different experience with the Chaos Bringer might hear a word of reassurance echoing in the dim chamber. Any tunnels that might lead beyond this chamber have been collapsed by the explosion that took Unicron's life. This quiet chamber of remembrance is all that is left of the mighty Unicron. He stood, and he waited. Something told him he would not wait long. The first thing Cyclonus hears is footsteps, thumping loudly through the halls. This is then followed by a pair of red eyes moving through the darkness. And just as Cyclonus somehow suspected, the optics belong to none other than Overlord, walking towards Cyclonus, perhaps by coincidence, *from inside* Unicron. He appears to be sight-seeing, from the way he's looking about. Indeed, he doesn't even seem aware that he isn't alone inside Unicron's head. Eventually, he seems to come upon what he was looking for--the site where the Matrix was opened...and Cyclonus is already there. Amazingly, Overlord *still* appears not to notice Cyclonus, and instead appears to be examing the floor. He kneels down, and traces two fingers across a skid mark. A glance to the side, then he rises up, surveying some impact craters. "Heh. All this struggling because of a boy." Cyclonus watches Overlord approach calmly. Coldly. When Overlord breaks the silence, he merely nods. "It is here our Dread Lord made his stand, yes. Because of a 'boy.' The Matrix is a false hope, but it's falseness does not make it any less dangerous." Cyclonus' knuckles crack as he flexes his hands into fists before relaxing them again at his sides. "Even you must understand that. Overlord." "I know more than you think, Cyclonus," Overlord says, looking around the room for further signs of conflict. "You may recall Thunderwing is one of my servants. He's performed quite a bit of research into the Matrix, and he tells me the the Matrix may be the key to understanding the primordial forces of the universe, and something currently beyond our knowledge. A way of understanding why we *are*. To hear him speak of it, one might think he believes it is divine, or perhaps was given to us by a god. But if that is so, what does that make Unicron, I wonder?... Something less than a god?" He smiles at Cyclonus, leaning in a bit. "A devil? And if *that's* true... well... what does that make *you*?" Turning away, he walks off back down the hallway, perhaps blatantly leaving his back exposed. "Something foul... unnatural. An abomination, not fit to set foot on our beloved homeworld. Or, some might say." Cyclonus narrows his optics as Overlord speaks. "If Thunderwing truly believes that bauble devine, you are a fool for providing an audience for his heretical nonsense." Cyclonus could end this with one swift strike... Overlord wouldn't have time to react. But no. Cyclonus was the agent of Galvatron's brutal purity. He would not stoop to murder. "I know who I am, Overlord." His Will made Manifest. "I know *what* I am." A stalwart shield of the Empire. "You were cast from our perfect Empire, Overlord. Perhaps it is you who are not fit." "That's where you're wrong," Overlord says, optics glowing. Cyclonus might have touched on a sensitive topic, there! "I cast myself out rather than be a plaything for Megatron." He approaches slowly. "You may be content with enslavement, but I aspire to far greater things, and I will kill *anyone* who stands in the way of them. And since you no doubt will never abandon Galvatron, I may as well kill you now. A shame, really. I've heard you've been consistently reliable. If you weren't fanatically devoted to Galvatron, you might have had a future." If Cyclonus was expecting to be punched or shot by a gun, he may be surprised as instead the twin laser battery in his chest shoots at him point-blank. Combat: Overlord sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Overlord strikes Cyclonus with his Twin Laser Battery attack! Cyclonus reacts a moment too late as Overlord sends him careening across the chamber, shoulders skidding across the ground. "Galvatron IS our future, Overlord. He is the only possible outcome!" He draws his blaster and opens fire, charging back towards the heretic! "For Galvatron! For the Empire!" Combat: Cyclonus sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Cyclonus misses Overlord with his Oxidizing Laser attack! Overlord twists out of the way of the blast, turning what could have been a dead-center shot into a harmless glancing hit on his side. "Future? Galvatron doesn't have a future. I am the *end* of you Unicronians. I am Megatron's greatest mistake coming back to destroy him in whatever form he takes once and for all time!" His bulky rifle materializes into his hands, and fires a blinding blast of energy that may not be as potent as Galvatron's cannon, but nevertheless is devastating. If it hits, Cyclonus may have the odd feeling that part of him just gave up and died. "Chokon energy," Overlord explains. "I discovered it in my many travels. It's said to sap at your life force, and cause you to rot from the inside out. How does it feel?" Combat: Overlord strikes Cyclonus with his Chokon Rifle attack! Combat: The next attack against you will automatically hit. Cyclonus gets just close enough to Overlord. He feels his hands wrap around the heretic's throat. Feels victory in his grasp. And then Overlord pulls the trigger. Cyclonus staggers backwards, his hands snaking from Overlord to desperately trying to hold his insides in. He opens his mouth, but no sound comes out.. Do not fall. Cyclonus holds himself against the wall without a response. Do not fall. Finally he manages recover back to his own two feet, energon and coolant pouring out of him, pooling on the floor. "I..." "You can not..." He steps forward. "Our destiny..." Cyclonus lunges, pulling a large installation out of the wall and making a last ditch effort to take Overlord off of his feet with it. Combat: Cyclonus strikes Overlord with his SAAAAAWIIIIING attack! Combat: You took !!! damage. Overlord just looks into Cyclonus's optics with a gaze devoid of all empathy, like he was looking at a subject for an experiment rather than a person. Worse is the smile, an expression which hints at amusement, but may truly have nothing behind it. He allows Cyclonus to stagger away, as if watching him struggle to stay on his feet was part of the show. "Impressive display of strength!" Overlord commends as the chunk of Unicron comes flying at him. And not only does it knock Overlord off his feet, it sends him skidding across the floor, leaving him in the same spot were Galvatron strangled Hot Rod. But even though Overlord took structural damage from the blow, his armor shows only scuff marks. "You don't honestly believe you can win, do you? I am the most powerful Decepticon who ever lived, Cyclonus. My armor is virtually invulnerable, and my Powermaster components supply me with boundless energy. I manufacture my own munitions from spare parts in mere minutes and my arsenal has slain more Autobots and Decepticons than I can even remember. Run away, Cyclonus. There's no hope. Just a brutal, violent death. THAT is your destiny." And he lunges back at Cyclonus, trying to snap one of his horns off his head before ramming it into his guts. Combat: Overlord sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Overlord strikes Cyclonus with his Controlled Brutality attack! Combat: The next attack against you will automatically hit. Cyclonus finds himself dropping to his knes, even as Overlord pulls one of his horns free. He folds over, sys fading and failing one after another. He looks up, coolant pouring from his mouth, and stands defiantly, swinging up at his enemy's head... Combat: Cyclonus strikes Overlord with his punch attack! Combat: You took :( damage. *klonk* The punch impacts against Overlord's cheek, and forces his head to twist to the side, but appears to do little damage. "Persistent, but useless. Just die, Cyclonus. Give up. There is no point in continuing to struggle when you have already been beaten." He splits apart into a tank and jet, his Powermaster components transforming to man both of them. As the jet hovers in the air, putting Cyclonus in its sights, the tank bears down on the Unicronian as well, aiming its turret at him. "You don't have a choice in it, anyway." A destructive fusillade of bullets and tank shells erupts from the two vehicles, and whatever is in its path will surely be torn to pieces. Overlord transforms into his Tank & Jet mode. Combat: Tank & Jet strikes Cyclonus with his Combined Strike attack! Combat: Secondary Damage! Combat: Cyclonus falls to the ground, unconscious. Cyclonus stares up at the jet bearing down on him, and screams suddenly. Fury and defiance pour wordlessly out of him, a final assault on Overlord the heretic. Cyclonus roars. And then the end comes. Tank & Jet transforms back into robot mode, looking at Cyclonus's smoldering body with that empty smile of his before he walks out of the hallway.